Hepatoprotective effect of Mahonia oiwakensis stems against carbon tetrachloride hepatotoxicity

Abstract

This study using in vitro and in vivo models investigates hepatoprotective activities of the ethanol extract of Mahonia oiwakensis stems (MOSEtOH). Anti-oxidative activity of MOSEtOH was evaluated by 2, 2-diphenlyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical. Wistar rats were orally pretreated with MOSEtOH (20, 100 and 500mg/kg) and silymarin (200mg/kg) for three consecutive days with administration of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) (1ml/kg, 50% CCl4 in olive oil). The results showed that MOSEtOH exhibited anti-oxidative activity in the DPPH (IC50, 0.743mg/mL) assay. Treatment with MOSEtOH (100 and 500mg/kg) or silymarin decreased the AST and ALT levels in serum when compared with CCl4-treated group. Histological analyses also show that MOSEtOH and silymarin reduced the incidence of liver lesions including vacuole formation, neutrophil infiltration and necrosis of hepatocytes induced by CCl4 in rats. Additionally, MOSEtOH and silymarin attenuated the decreased protein activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and glutathione reductase (GRd) and increased malondialdehyde (MDA) and nitric oxide (NO) contents in liver as compared with CCl4-treated group. In conclusion, the MOSEtOH (100 and 500mg/kg) has a strong hepatoprotective effect on CCl4-induced hepatic injury in rats and can be used as pharmacological agent for the prevention of liver disorders.